William J. Taylor Jr. Of Counsel

Bill Taylor conducts a diverse civil litigation practice before the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania. Bill has a wealth of experience defending high-exposure personal injury cases arising from premises, product, and railroad, trucking and automobile liability as well as medical malpractice claims. He also regularly defends professional liability lawsuits alleging property damage, loss of value and business interruption.

A significant portion of Bill’s practice involves the defense of premises liability cases that run the gamut from commonplace slip-and-falls to more unusual claims such as an elevator electrocution. He also handles premises security claims arising from sexual assaults and other such incidents. Bill has defended numerous motor vehicle and trucking liability cases involving serious personal injuries. He has additional experience defending equipment manufacturers in product liability claims.

In the professional liability area, Bill has a particular focus on defending architects and engineers in construction defect cases arising from housing, condominium, shopping center and other commercial developments. He defends lawyer liability claims as well, including a recent conflict of interest case. In addition, he represents optometrists in medical malpractice lawsuits, including a recent multimillion-dollar claim alleging failure to diagnose end-stage glaucoma in a young child.

Bill was in-house with the Fireman’s Fund staff counsel for seven years prior to joining Wilson Elser. Through this experience, he gained an in-depth understanding of the claims and reporting process and honed his ability to identify cases ripe for quick resolution. Early in his career, he worked in his family’s law office representing a large oil company in trucking liability, refinery injury and toxic tort matters.